CREATING A WINNING THESIS STATEMENT Or the Road to a “5” Thesis Statement

A NOTE ABOUT THESIS STATEMENTS Any time that you create a thesis statement, you are building an argument that must be proven! What you prove MUST NOT be completely obvious. (Ex. “In Things Fall Apart, Okonkwo is the central character.) What you prove MUST NOT be exclusively literal. You MUST reveal a deeper understanding and make abstractions.

PARTS OF THE THESIS STATEMENT TOPIC CLAIM (VERB) DIRECTION QUALIFIER UNIVERSAL IDEA

TOPIC The TOPIC reveals the context of the thesis—the text(s) analyzed. Examples John Smith’s autobiographical account . . . Considering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . . .

CLAIM (VERB) The CLAIM tells what the text is doing to arrive at the universal idea. Review the list of verbs for academic discourse. For practice, “uses” is a good place to start. Examples: John Smith’s autobiographical account uses . . . Considering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, King uses . . .

DIRECTION The DIRECTION tells how the text arrives at the universal idea. DIRECTION = rhetorical devices Examples: John Smith’s autobiographical account uses imagery, diction, and point of view . . . Considering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, King uses analogy, repetition, and emotional appeal . . .

Verb for Analytical Writing The analytical writing verb links the direction to the universal idea. “to prove that” (there are more constructions possible) Examples: John Smith’s autobiographical account uses metaphor, diction, and point of view to prove that . . . Considering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, King uses analogy, repetition, and emotional appeal to convey the idea that . . .

UNIVERSAL IDEA-Author’s Message The UNIVERSAL IDEA is the larger idea or purpose at work in the text. The UNIVERSAL IDEA part should reveal meaning about the abstract noun. Examples: John Smith’s autobiographical account uses metaphor, diction, and point of view to prove that success is measured by one’s ability to conquer. Considering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, King uses analogy, repetition, and emotional appeal to prove that equality is the foundation of a truly democratic society.

Or Adding Variety and Complexity to a Thesis Statement Adding “The Funk” Or Adding Variety and Complexity to a Thesis Statement

STEP 1: MODIFIED DIRECTIONS For each direction, add an adjective that best describes the text’s use of that direction. Ex. John Smith’s autobiographical account uses adventurous imagery, calculated diction, and an self-important point of view . . .

STEP 2: ADD THE SHIFT/CONTRAST Reveal the shift/contrast that occurs within the text (especially the shift/contrast in the universal idea. Ex. John Smith’s autobiographical account uses adventurous imagery, calculated diction, and an self-important point of view to prove that success is measured by one’s ability to conquer, not in one’s ability to make peace.

STEP 3: ADDING TEXT PHRASES FOR INTEREST Choose a few words or phrases from the text that allude to the universal idea. Add these words/phrases to the thesis statement for effect. Ex. John Smith’s autobiographical account, a testimony of “his own example, good words, and fair promises,” uses adventurous imagery, calculated diction, and an self-important point of view to prove that success is measured by one’s ability to conquer, not in one’s ability to make peace.

STEP 4: RE-ARRANGE THE PIECES! Take all the thesis statement parts, and re-arrange them to create sentence variety. Ex. To prove that success is measured by one’s ability to conquer, not in one’s ability to make peace, adventurous imagery, calculated diction, and a self-important point of view are used in John Smith’s autobiographical account—a testimony of “his own example, good words, and fair promises.”

Creating Topic Sentences

The Elements of the Topic Sentence Direction Claim Universal Idea * These elements should seem similar to the thesis components (but now with a twist)!

Step 1: Begin with a solid thesis. To prove that success is measured by one’s ability to conquer, not in one’s ability to make peace, adventurous imagery, calculated diction, and a self-important point of view are used in John Smith’s autobiographical account—a testimony of “his own example, good words, and fair promises.”

Step 2: Borrow the “Topics” from Thesis’s Directions To prove that success is measured by one’s ability to conquer, not in one’s ability to make peace, adventurous imagery, calculated diction, and a self-important point of view are used in John Smith’s autobiographical account—a testimony of “his own example, good words, and fair promises.” Topic Sentence Topic: adventurous imagery (This is the first direction.)

Step 3: Add the Direction(s) The “directions” of the topic sentence are the examples you are using as evidence. Adventurous imagery, such as Smith’s narrow escape from death . . . *Note: If you have more than one direction (example), ALL should be mentioned in the topic sentence.

Step 4: Add the Claim Choose an appropriate verb that links what the directions do in relation to the universal idea. Adventurous imagery, such as Smith’s narrow escape from death, establishes . . .

Step 5: Add the Universal Idea (Again) Add the universal idea to the topic sentence. CAUTION: To keep the universal idea from becoming redundant throughout the essay, develop synonyms. Adventurous imagery, such as Smith’s narrow escape from death, establishes Smith’s success in conquering Powhatan’s animosity.